Olympic Figure Skating for Dummies Vol III: The Men
Wondering which men are in contention for a medal in Sochi? Wonder no longer!
Men's skating has changed dramatically since the Vancouver Olympics when Evan Lysacek won without a quad and Evgeni Plushenko awarded himself the platinum medal. In 2014, the men need not only one quad, but likely three: one in the short and two in the long program. Some skaters will try three in the long program alone. There are a strong group of skaters who have combined jumping with artistry and edge skills, and they are leading the way in Sochi.
Note that the triple Axel is still a vital jump in men's skating. Along with quads, top men have to do at least one triple Axel in the short and one in the long at the minimum. Most do two in the long, with one in combination.
The top contenders
Patrick Chan -- Canada
The three-time world champion has long been considered the favourite for the Olympic gold in 2014. However he has often been a controversial skater, which some accusing the judges of "Chanflation" and overscoring him when he makes mistakes. I think Patrick is a gorgeous skater with truly great skating skills and edges, and when he's on, he is the best in the world. But in the past he has won when he was not at his best, which I think was bad not only for the sport, but for Patrick. It put him in a crappy position, and it wasn't fair for anyone.
If he nails his programs, Patrick will very likely win. He faltered slightly in the team event, and has been plagued by nerves and inconsistency, although this season overall has been strong. It really could go either way here in Sochi. Patrick has a quad in the short and two in the long, but the triple Axel has long been his nemesis. His destiny is largely in his hands, and we'll have to see if he rises or falls under the intense pressure.
Yuzuru Hanyu -- Japan
In his short program, Yuzu is a rock star. He's charismatic and confident, and when he's on, a joy to watch. He and Patrick have been trading world record numbers the past couple of seasons, and Yuzu won the Grand Prix Final decisively in December after Patrick faltered. In the team event in Sochi, he nailed it. Can he do it again?
Yuzuru has struggled with consistency and stamina in the past. He suffers from asthma and at times has seemed ready to collapse after long programs. It's really a coin flip as to whether he can keep his head about him for both programs, but he is looking very strong going in. At the beginning of the season I would have said Patrick will 100% win at his best, but if Yuzu nails it, he could very, very likely take gold.
The strong contenders
Let's talk about the Japanese men for a moment. Japan had six (!) men who were Olympic podium contenders, but of course no country can send more than three competitors (to help give other countries a chance to grow the sport and move up the rankings). Just getting to the Olympics was a bloodsport for these guys.
Daisuke Takahasi -- Japan
The sentimental favourite by far for most skating fans. Not to mention cats:
Simply put, Daisuke is exquisite. He won bronze in Vancouver and is a world champion. He's struggled with injuries throughout his career, and at 27 the question is whether his body can hold up. I could watch him stroke around a rink all day. His edge work and musicality is just to die for. He is a superstar in Japan, and if he can put in two strong performances should be on that podium. There has been some drama involving his short program music, but fingers crossed it won't distract him since he certainly isn't at fault for the deception.
Tatsuki Machida -- Japan
Due to the aforementioned depth in men's skating in Japan, Tatsuki has never even made a world team. But he was on fire this season, and not just because he's wearing flaming feathers for his free skate. He won two Grand Prix events in the fall and was silver medalist at Japanese nationals after faltering at the GP Final. He was a little shaky in the team event, but has a great shot at the podium.
Javier Fernandez -- Spain
Javi did not have a good first half of this season, but he rebounded to win Europeans in January. He's charismatic and his strength is jumping. Inconsistency has been his downfall, so it's a toss-up as to whether he will deliver in Sochi. I hope he does!
Evgeni Plushenko -- Russia
Plushenko should really not even be a factor here, but as he showed in the team event, he can still land the jumps when it counts (two popped triples in the long notwithstanding). He has nerves of steel and is an incredible competitor (and has clearly made a deal with the devil to be landing quads at 31). There was drama all season surrounding which Russian man would get the lone spot in Sochi. In the end, it went to Plushenko, who has barely competed since Vancouver in 2010, even though he was soundly beaten at Russian Nationals by young Maxim Kovtun.
Kovtun had to prove himself again at Europeans and faltered under the intense pressure, coming in fifth. Meanwhile Plushenko stayed home and trained, and was awarded the spot.
Winning medals at four Olympic Games is truly remarkable. That said, he is -- and always has been -- all jumps, and I can't stand his smug arrogance. He was ludicrously overmarked for his component scores in the team event, and I can only hope those scores will come back down to reality in the men's competition. He should be nowhere near that podium if the contenders deliver. But this is Russia, and this is figure skating, and anything is possible.
Kevin Reynolds -- Canada
Fifth at Worlds last year, Kevin missed the fall season with skate problems. He rebounded to make the Olympic team, and delivered a solid skate in the team event with three quads in the long program. He has an outside shot at the bronze if he can hit all his jumps. He's really improved his artistry, but for him it comes down to the jumping.
Han Yan -- China
In his senior debut season, this 17-year-old won the Cup of China and made the Grand Prix final in December. Very impressive! He's unlikely to medal in Sochi, but he is a dark horse contender. He has the quad, and his triple Axel is breathtaking.
Jeremy Abbott -- USA
Jeremy has been breaking our hearts with his inconsistency pretty much his entire career. Many people wrote him off the past few years, and understandably so. But in his final season, he knocked it out of the park at Nationals to win one of the two US men's spots. He practiced very well his first week in Sochi, and then had a disastrous short in the team event. Falling on the quad was one thing, but popping the triple Axel was another. Popping a jump (singling or doubling it) is the worst thing a skater can do, because even if you fall, if the jump is rotated, partial credit is given. Popping is just giving it all away. Jeremy is a gorgeous, lyrical skater, and he could medal if he can keep his head together. Sadly that is a big if.
Jason Brown -- USA
Young Jason is an utter delight. So sweet and charming, with an infectious enthusiasm and love of skating. His Riverdance long program is a joy to behold. Jason's weakness at the moment is that he doesn't have a quad, which will keep him off the podium barring an epic meltdown from at least five skaters. But I'm including him because he is definitely a man to watch in Sochi if you want to smile and feel good about life. I can't wait to see him grow over the next four years!
Denis Ten -- Kazakhstan
After a breakout performance at Worlds in March that gave him a silver medal (which should have been gold), Denis has had pretty much the worst luck ever. Pretty much aything that could possibly go wrong this season has gone wrong, including skate problems, a back injury and a terrible infection that spread through his body and affected his ankles, jaw and a tooth. Then he ran out of pages in his passport and had to restart his US visa process, meaning he couldn't train in LA with his coach Frank Carroll. Denis was 4th in a relatively (due to two strong Japanese men who didn't make the Olympics being there) weak field at Four Continents in January. I would love for him to knock it out of the park in Sochi, but it seems unlikely given his season. But anything is possible!
Those are the men I think will/could be in the hunt in Sochi. As always, we just never know what will happen. I don't know about you, but I can't wait!
Men's skating has changed dramatically since the Vancouver Olympics when Evan Lysacek won without a quad and Evgeni Plushenko awarded himself the platinum medal. In 2014, the men need not only one quad, but likely three: one in the short and two in the long program. Some skaters will try three in the long program alone. There are a strong group of skaters who have combined jumping with artistry and edge skills, and they are leading the way in Sochi.
Note that the triple Axel is still a vital jump in men's skating. Along with quads, top men have to do at least one triple Axel in the short and one in the long at the minimum. Most do two in the long, with one in combination.
The top contenders
Patrick Chan -- Canada
The three-time world champion has long been considered the favourite for the Olympic gold in 2014. However he has often been a controversial skater, which some accusing the judges of "Chanflation" and overscoring him when he makes mistakes. I think Patrick is a gorgeous skater with truly great skating skills and edges, and when he's on, he is the best in the world. But in the past he has won when he was not at his best, which I think was bad not only for the sport, but for Patrick. It put him in a crappy position, and it wasn't fair for anyone.
If he nails his programs, Patrick will very likely win. He faltered slightly in the team event, and has been plagued by nerves and inconsistency, although this season overall has been strong. It really could go either way here in Sochi. Patrick has a quad in the short and two in the long, but the triple Axel has long been his nemesis. His destiny is largely in his hands, and we'll have to see if he rises or falls under the intense pressure.
Yuzuru Hanyu -- Japan
In his short program, Yuzu is a rock star. He's charismatic and confident, and when he's on, a joy to watch. He and Patrick have been trading world record numbers the past couple of seasons, and Yuzu won the Grand Prix Final decisively in December after Patrick faltered. In the team event in Sochi, he nailed it. Can he do it again?
Yuzuru has struggled with consistency and stamina in the past. He suffers from asthma and at times has seemed ready to collapse after long programs. It's really a coin flip as to whether he can keep his head about him for both programs, but he is looking very strong going in. At the beginning of the season I would have said Patrick will 100% win at his best, but if Yuzu nails it, he could very, very likely take gold.
The strong contenders
Let's talk about the Japanese men for a moment. Japan had six (!) men who were Olympic podium contenders, but of course no country can send more than three competitors (to help give other countries a chance to grow the sport and move up the rankings). Just getting to the Olympics was a bloodsport for these guys.
Daisuke Takahasi -- Japan
The sentimental favourite by far for most skating fans. Not to mention cats:
Simply put, Daisuke is exquisite. He won bronze in Vancouver and is a world champion. He's struggled with injuries throughout his career, and at 27 the question is whether his body can hold up. I could watch him stroke around a rink all day. His edge work and musicality is just to die for. He is a superstar in Japan, and if he can put in two strong performances should be on that podium. There has been some drama involving his short program music, but fingers crossed it won't distract him since he certainly isn't at fault for the deception.
Tatsuki Machida -- Japan
Due to the aforementioned depth in men's skating in Japan, Tatsuki has never even made a world team. But he was on fire this season, and not just because he's wearing flaming feathers for his free skate. He won two Grand Prix events in the fall and was silver medalist at Japanese nationals after faltering at the GP Final. He was a little shaky in the team event, but has a great shot at the podium.
Javier Fernandez -- Spain
Javi did not have a good first half of this season, but he rebounded to win Europeans in January. He's charismatic and his strength is jumping. Inconsistency has been his downfall, so it's a toss-up as to whether he will deliver in Sochi. I hope he does!
Evgeni Plushenko -- Russia
Plushenko should really not even be a factor here, but as he showed in the team event, he can still land the jumps when it counts (two popped triples in the long notwithstanding). He has nerves of steel and is an incredible competitor (and has clearly made a deal with the devil to be landing quads at 31). There was drama all season surrounding which Russian man would get the lone spot in Sochi. In the end, it went to Plushenko, who has barely competed since Vancouver in 2010, even though he was soundly beaten at Russian Nationals by young Maxim Kovtun.
Kovtun had to prove himself again at Europeans and faltered under the intense pressure, coming in fifth. Meanwhile Plushenko stayed home and trained, and was awarded the spot.
Winning medals at four Olympic Games is truly remarkable. That said, he is -- and always has been -- all jumps, and I can't stand his smug arrogance. He was ludicrously overmarked for his component scores in the team event, and I can only hope those scores will come back down to reality in the men's competition. He should be nowhere near that podium if the contenders deliver. But this is Russia, and this is figure skating, and anything is possible.
Kevin Reynolds -- Canada
Fifth at Worlds last year, Kevin missed the fall season with skate problems. He rebounded to make the Olympic team, and delivered a solid skate in the team event with three quads in the long program. He has an outside shot at the bronze if he can hit all his jumps. He's really improved his artistry, but for him it comes down to the jumping.
Han Yan -- China
In his senior debut season, this 17-year-old won the Cup of China and made the Grand Prix final in December. Very impressive! He's unlikely to medal in Sochi, but he is a dark horse contender. He has the quad, and his triple Axel is breathtaking.
Jeremy Abbott -- USA
Jeremy has been breaking our hearts with his inconsistency pretty much his entire career. Many people wrote him off the past few years, and understandably so. But in his final season, he knocked it out of the park at Nationals to win one of the two US men's spots. He practiced very well his first week in Sochi, and then had a disastrous short in the team event. Falling on the quad was one thing, but popping the triple Axel was another. Popping a jump (singling or doubling it) is the worst thing a skater can do, because even if you fall, if the jump is rotated, partial credit is given. Popping is just giving it all away. Jeremy is a gorgeous, lyrical skater, and he could medal if he can keep his head together. Sadly that is a big if.
Jason Brown -- USA
Young Jason is an utter delight. So sweet and charming, with an infectious enthusiasm and love of skating. His Riverdance long program is a joy to behold. Jason's weakness at the moment is that he doesn't have a quad, which will keep him off the podium barring an epic meltdown from at least five skaters. But I'm including him because he is definitely a man to watch in Sochi if you want to smile and feel good about life. I can't wait to see him grow over the next four years!
Denis Ten -- Kazakhstan
After a breakout performance at Worlds in March that gave him a silver medal (which should have been gold), Denis has had pretty much the worst luck ever. Pretty much aything that could possibly go wrong this season has gone wrong, including skate problems, a back injury and a terrible infection that spread through his body and affected his ankles, jaw and a tooth. Then he ran out of pages in his passport and had to restart his US visa process, meaning he couldn't train in LA with his coach Frank Carroll. Denis was 4th in a relatively (due to two strong Japanese men who didn't make the Olympics being there) weak field at Four Continents in January. I would love for him to knock it out of the park in Sochi, but it seems unlikely given his season. But anything is possible!
Those are the men I think will/could be in the hunt in Sochi. As always, we just never know what will happen. I don't know about you, but I can't wait!